


Punishment

by Malana



Category: Sports Night
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 15:17:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1095532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malana/pseuds/Malana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan knows he is being punished. He's just not sure why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Punishment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Steph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steph/gifts).



"Do we really have to cover so much soccer tonight?"

Natalie blinked at Dan. "Seriously?"

"I hate soccer."

"I know you hate soccer. Everyone who has ever talked to you for more than five minutes knows that you hate soccer."

"Then why do I have to talk about soccer so much lately?"

"It's the World Cup draw."

"So?"

"You're asking me why, during the World Cup, an event in which many soccer games are played, you have to talk about soccer?"

"That is what I'm asking, yes."

"You know you anchor a sports show, right? And that on that sports show people tend to like it when you, you know, talk about sports."

"Understood, but-"

"And that soccer is a sport."

"See, that's where you lose me."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "It's the most popular sport in the world, Dan."

"But it's boring!"

"Would you please just go and write me a segment so that I don't get a call from Dana on the first night of her vacation asking why there's a three minute and twenty second hole in the middle of the show?"

"Fine. But I want it known that I am doing this under protest." Dan said before he turned and headed back to his office.

"Your protest is noted, but largely ignored." Natalie called after him, "Make sure it’s three minutes and twenty second that isn't going to result in hundreds of angry letters and emails, please!"

\----

Casey looked up as Dan slunk into their office. 

"Problem?" he asked after Dan threw himself down on the couch, sighing heavily.

"Natalie says we have to do the soccer piece."

"Well, that's almost hard to believe," Casey said dryly. 

"I know!" Dan said, ignoring his partner's tone. "I think she might be punishing me." He sat up, suddenly worried. "Oh my god, do you think she's punishing me?"

"By making you write about the biggest sporting event of the year on the sports show we do?"

"Yes!"

"Okay." Casey went back his computer. 

"Okay?" Dan was getting louder. "What do you mean okay? Does that mean you agree with me?"

Casey didn't even look up at him. "It means I really don't want to be in this conversation anymore."

"But I am being punished. You see that, right?"

"Possibly," Casey offered. 

"And you're not going to do anything about it?"

"Absolutely not."

Dan jumped back up to his feet, "Why not?!"

Casey sighed and stopped typing. "Two reasons. One, I really don't care and two, it's Natalie and if I interfere, she'll also punish me."

"You're scared of Natalie," Dan challenged. 

Casey didn't rise to the bait. "I'm absolutely scared of Natalie. Natalie is terrifying."

"Help me!" Dan pleaded. 

"Nope!"

"Come on, I'm already doing soccer, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I could spend the rest of the week doing cricket highlights."

"You are a terrible friend."

"Just write the piece, Danny."

With an exaggerated sigh, Dan sat down at his desk and began angrily typing. 

Casey was reluctant to break the ensuing silence, but curiosity won out. "Wait, why do you think she's punishing you?"

Dan stared at him. "Because she's making me write about soccer!" he yelled. 

Casey rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no, I kind of picked up on that part. I mean, what moronic thing did you do that deserves punishment?"

“For the life of me, I cannot figure it out.”

“Did you insult Pete Sampras again?”

“I’m not that stupid.”

“Did you make fun of her shirt?”

“Why would I make fun of her shirt? What’s wrong with her shirt?”

Casey shrugged. “Nothings wrong with her shirt! I’m just throwing out suggestions.”

“You’re suggestions are stupid.”

“Well, I’m not the one who pissed Natalie off, so unless you want to do soccer segments every night until Dana gets back, I’d suggest you find a way to fix this. Whatever it is.”

 

At the 5pm rundown, Dan was still trying to figure out what he might have done to incur Natalie’s wrath. It wasn’t like pissing off Natalie was an unheard of occurrence; their friendship had weathered quite a few storms. At least this time she wasn’t withholding his pants. But, try as he might, he couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong.

“Dan, how’s the piece on the draw coming?” Natalie asked, looking at Dan from across the table, an unpleasant glint in her eye.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Dan said brightly. “And, really, I think it’s definitely more in Casey’s wheelhouse, so—“

“No.” Natalie and Casey both replied at the same time. 

“I mean, in the best interest of the show—“

“No.” Once more, the response was in unison. This time louder. 

“But—“

“Dan, I swear to god if you keep whining I’m going to make sure you get every soccer story we do for the next year.” 

Dan sighed and slumped back in his chair, giving up.  
“Okay,” Natalie said, moving on. “Everything else seems to be on track. Kim, stay on top of the Davidson thing. Casey, we might need you to take 30 seconds of the Notre Dame piece, so be prepared for that. Any other business?”

Jeremy cleared his throat, “Actually, I’ve got something that might make for—“

“No.”

Dan and Casey exchanged a glance. It looked like Dan wasn’t the only one on Natalie’s list today.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, no?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Jeremy. What do people normally mean by it?”

“You seriously aren’t going to let me pitch a story?”

Natalie tossed her pen down on her note pad and leaned back in her chair, staring leveling at Jeremy. “You want to pitch a story?”

Jeremy hesitated. “Yes?”

“Right now. To me. You want to pitch a story?

“Is that not how this works?”

Natalie let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m asking you if you think right now is the best time for you to be asking me anything?”

“Natalie…” Jeremy began.

“Okay, everyone,” Natalie announced, cutting him off “Meeting is over. Be back here in 2 hours.”

As the meeting broke up, Dan pulled Jeremy aside. “Do you know why we’re being punished?”

“What do you mean?” Jeremy asked. 

“Come on, I’m stuck doing soccer and Natalie’s apparently not thrilled with you right now, but I can’t figure out why.”

Jeremy shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “Just let it go, Dan.”

“I would let it go, but Natalie obviously not going to let it go, because, well, because she’s Natalie. And I don’t even know what it is that is being let go.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m very worried about it. Angry Natalie is scary. You never know what she’s going to do next.”

“Dan, really. I’m on top of it. Now I’ve got to get back to work. And I’m assuming your still putting off your World Cup piece, so you probably should too.”

“At least tell me why she’s mad!” Dan called after the retreating Jeremy, but he didn’t get a response.

 

Despite Jeremy’s reassurances, Dan grew more concerned as the night went on. First his dinner order was screwed up, then wardrobe brought him one of the ugliest ties he’d ever seen. To top it off, he’d gotten a bad earpiece and spent the whole show with a high-pitched buzzing in his ear. 

Finally, he’d have enough. “Natalie, can we talk?” He asked, sticking his head in the control room once they were off the air. 

“Not a great time, Dan. Nice tie, by the way.” Natalie said as she gathered her various notes and checklists. 

“Nat, seriously.”

Natalie sighed, standing up and joining Dan in the hall. “Fine. Talk.” 

“What am I being punished for?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Natalie said with false lightness, heading down the hallway towards her desk. 

“Come on!” Dan said hurrying after her. “How am I supposed to fix whatever it is that I did, if I don’t even know what it is?”

“You know!”

“I really, really don’t.”

Natalie tossed her clipboard on her desk and turned, jabbing Dan in the chest with one finger. “We were going to go to Paris!”

Dan looked at her, confused. “We…were?”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “Jeremy and I, moron.”

“Are going to Paris.”

“Were going to Paris.”

“...And now you aren’t.”

“Apparently not,” Natalie said, crossing her arms and glaring at Dan. 

“And this is my fault?”

“Yep!”

“Okay…” Dan paused. “Wait, not okay. How is this my fault?”

Natalie angrily began rearranging things on her desk. 

“I don’t know exactly,” she admitted.

“Then why am I being punished and blamed for something I didn’t even know about?”

“Jeremy and I were going to go to Paris in the spring. A week in Paris, with my boyfriend. Paris!”

“Yeah, I got that part,” Dan muttered, before being silenced by the look on Natalie’s face. 

“We’ve been planning it practically since we got back together in September. Well, I’ve been planning it. If I let Jeremy plan it, all we’ll be doing is visiting highly significant and extremely boring historical sites.” She waved off her digression. “Anyway, two nights ago, he goes out for drinks with you and then yesterday morning, he’s telling he that we should think about putting off the trip. He won’t tell me why; he just keeps saying it’s the wrong time. Spring is not the wrong time to go to Paris with your girlfriend!”

“Natalie, I swear, I didn’t have anything to do with that.” Dan held up his hands, protesting guilt. 

“Really,” Natalie said, narrowing her eyes. “You didn’t have one of your Dan talks with him? You didn’t tell him that it was too soon after us getting back together for a big trip like this? Really?”

Dan swallowed, nervously, as he thought back to his conversation with Jeremy that night. He had had a few drinks, that was certainly true. 

“He may have mentioned that you were taking your vacations together,” Dan admitted. 

“And?” Natalie prompted. 

“…I may have expressed surprise at that fact?”

Natalie’s expression darkened even further. “What is wrong with you?!”

“I didn’t—“

“No, seriously? What is wrong with your brain? Why would you say that to him?”

“Natalie, I’m sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean that you two shouldn’t go off together. I was just honestly surprised. You’ve only been back together for a couple of months and—“

“PARIS! I was going to go to Paris! But now you put all sorts of thoughts into his impressionable head, and he thinks it’s too soon.”

“It is too soon” 

Natalie and Dan turned in surprise, to see Jeremy walking toward them. Neither of them had him approach. 

“Jeremy, I know we just got back together a few months ago, but we agreed that we were going to try to pick things back up where they were before everything went bad. I thought we were going to give this a serious go, and now you’re saying that six months from now will be too soon!“

“It is too soon.” Jeremy repeated.

Natalie opened her mouth to protest again, but Jeremy continued. 

“I think Paris should wait until our honeymoon.”

Natalie stood there, mouth agape. 

“Wh-What?”

“Well, I thought about what Dan said, about how if we were taking our vacations together we must be fairly serious again. And I realized that we are. Serious, I mean. And then I thought about how romantic you think Paris is…So, I started thinking maybe when we go, it shouldn’t just be a vacation.”

“Are you proposing to me? Here? Now? In the office? In front of Dan?”

Jeremy grinned sheepishly. “Well, it wasn’t exactly the way I planned it, but it looked like you were considering bashing Dan’s skull in with a stapler, so I thought I should probably say something.”

Jeremy stepped closer to Natalie and got down on one knee. “Natalie Hurley, will you marry me?”

Natalie smiled, her eyes brimming with tears. “Of course I will.”

Dan happily watched as he friends embraced. “You know,” he offered, “this means that I shouldn’t have spent today getting punished. 

“Maybe it was an unfair punishment,” Natalie admitted, still wrapped in Jeremy’s arms. 

“If anything, I should get rewarded.”

“Yeah, don’t push your luck.”

Dan continued to grin as other members of the team wandered in to hear the good news. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be getting any soccer stories for a while.


End file.
